With logistical time running out for the incredibly popular series, the creators design to continue with a massive year-round season that had made the series increasingly popular with teen audiences here. However, while the story arcs are certainly very well-thought and mapped out, the long season often lapses and runs out of steam during the second half, sinking into its more comically, campy mood, which, while fairly well-balanced during its first two seasons, wears pretty thin by this point.

The great cast and still-trailblazing and generally good character arcs keep this series in good form around this period. However, its stabs at urban social commentary of the time, including homelessness and the Los Angeles riots, often come off today embarrassingly naïve, excessive, and almost unintentionally comical, feeling obligatory and tacked-on as a result.

The DVD’s picture quality is of the 1:33:1 full-screen aspect ratio of the original TV broadcasts. Much of the music has been altered on the DVD in accordance with licensing issues and some episodes are grainier than others, which may be more evidential that some of the episodes used were in their syndicated versions.

The DVD also comes packed with a few special features. The first, the featurette “7 Minutes In Heaven”, is mainly a compilation of clips of key moments of the entire third season.

The second featurette “Everything You Need To Know About Beverly Hills 90210 Season 3”. It features VH1’s Best Week Ever panelists Michael Colton and John Aboud, who provide an occasionally amusing and sharp, but annoyingly cynical comical analysis of the series during its third season.

Rounding out the special features is “The World According To Nat”. It features a rather warm and engaging interview with cast member Joe E. Tata, who played Nat, the owner of 90210’s hangout diner, The Peach Pit.

Much of Beverly Hills, 90210: The Third Season still is fairly good due to a still-fantastic cast, as well as writers who compensated for the show’s more campier shortcomings with great story arcs for the characters. However, its overlong season and immense popularity with children, as well as teens, causes it to slip occasionally into absurdity with its often embarrassing stabs at urban social commentary and excessive overall cheesiness.

Movie Grade: B-
DVD Features Grade: B
Overall Grade: B